Thomas Rhett Is Judging Miss America 2018 This Weekend

Thomas Rhett has been selected as one of four celebrity judges tasked with crowning the next Miss America. The country star will share judging duties for the 2018 Miss America competition -- which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (Sept. 10) -- with singer Jordin Sparks, People and Entertainment Weekly Editorial Director Jess Cagle and actress / model Molly Sims.

Having a country singer on hand for the Miss America competition isn't anything new: Brett Eldredge helped pick a winner back in 2015 and Cole Swindell took on the duty last year.

"That’s going to be interesting ... I’m following in good footsteps," Rhett told The Boot and other reporters at a recent media event. "Hopefully I can just read the question very good. I don’t know how much judging is actually involved, but I get to read some questions and get to evaluate the answers."

The 2018 Miss America competition will air on ABC at 9PM ET. Just a couple days prior to taking on his Miss America judging duties, Rhett will release his third studio album, Life Changes, on Sept. 8. Rhett says the project, overall, is ” very nostalgic-feeling.”

“There’s a lot of songs that feel very nostalgic and, lyric-wise, talk a lot about being in high school and college, and how I got to this point in life,” he explains. “And [there’s] a lot of songs about how life has drastically changed over the last few years.”

In celebration of Life Changes, Rhett has announced three small-club shows — in Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; and Philadelphia, Pa. — on Sept. 8. At the concerts, he’ll play his new music for and share stories with the fans in attendance.